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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597837">Sister, sister</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilweseeawingshot/pseuds/Seathesilverlining'>Seathesilverlining (untilweseeawingshot)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sister, sister [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Thunderbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bonnie!Verse, Brothers and Sisters - Freeform, Family time, Gen, Siblings, Six Tracy Siblings, TAG (2015) - Freeform, Tag, Tracy Daughter, Tracy Family - Freeform, Tracy Siblings, Tracy boys have a sister, Tracy sister, Tracy sister AU, but nothing much else changes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:00:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilweseeawingshot/pseuds/Seathesilverlining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Just hang on a second! This is surreal. Girl, since when do you - - since when does anyone have a direct line through to International Rescue?”<br/>“I’m special.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sister, sister [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, we just follow the trail and... Are you listening?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure, always…” Bonnie paused in tying her boot laces and looked over to Amy. “What did you say?”</p>
<p>Amy groaned. “Why do I go to places like this with you?”</p>
<p>“Because I don’t mind driving us everywhere?” Bonnie quipped, hopping out of the trunk of the car where she had been sat changing her shoes. “I’ll try not to get distracted this time.”</p>
<p>“Key word; ‘try’”</p>
<p>“Well I’m not going to just lie to you. But look.” She pulled a small purple cube out of her backpack. “I got this! It’s called a Nav-safe, the latest in navigation tech. You just put it on the floor, it scans where you are and leads you back to safety. And it can send an emergency signal if things have gone really wrong and it can’t guide you back safely. So if I do get distracted and we do get lost this little baby will guide us back!”</p>
<p>“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”</p>
<p>Bonnie pulled the trunk shut and patted the bright yellow, vintage Beetle affectionately. “See you in a few hours old girl.”</p>
<p>“Come on Bonnie!”</p>
<p>“Coming!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It feels so good to be out in the open air after submitting that thesis.” Amy breathed in deep. “I don’t think I’ve really left my apartment in a month! Not even for groceries! And I’ve barely spoken to anyone besides you and my Mom and Dad.”</p>
<p>“And now you’re still only speaking to me.” Bonnie laughed. “No, it’s nice, beats just popping out for coffee then going back to writing.” She hopped over a fallen branch. “I’ll be glad to have something that resembles a normal sleeping pattern again.” She pulled the branch over to the side and noticed her friend had stopped, staring further into the wooded area at the edge of the trail. “Amy?”</p>
<p>The brunette didn’t move, only squinted.</p>
<p>“Amy?”</p>
<p>“What’s that?” Amy finally raised a hand to point, the other shielding her eyes from the sun.</p>
<p>Bonnie trudged back. “So much for me not being allowed to get distracted… What’s what?”</p>
<p>“That, down there!” Amy wagged her pointing finger at an area of green about a half of a mile from where they stood.</p>
<p>“Sure, what about it?”</p>
<p>“Well, doesn’t it look out of place?”</p>
<p>Bonnie looked at her friend and then turned back to the area she indicated.</p>
<p>“The plants. They’re wrong. They almost look fake.”</p>
<p>“Let’s go check it out.”</p>
<p>“What was that about <em>me</em> not getting distracted?”</p>
<p>“Be quiet and come on.”</p>
<p>They made their way carefully off of the trail, picking a path around untamed nature until they reached the spot Amy had noticed.</p>
<p>“What do you think it is?”</p>
<p>“Why are you whispering?”</p>
<p>“What if it’s someone’s hiding spot?”</p>
<p>Bonnie laughed loudly. “Are you serious?”</p>
<p>“Stop laughing at me.” Amy snapped, bending to investigate the strange area.</p>
<p>Bonnie forced her laughter down into a soft chuckle, moving to the other edge of the strange area she felt her boot meet something solid. She moved the grass around it with her hand, a projector.</p>
<p>“What the…” Realisation ran down Bonnie’s spine like an icicle. “Amy, wait!”</p>
<p>But it was too late.</p>
<p>Amy leaned forward; arm outstretched to push the strange looking plants away, but instead of hitting solid ground she fell into the hole the projection had been hiding.</p>
<p>Bonnie leapt forward, throwing herself on the ground, catching her ribs on the projector and just managed to grab hold of her friend’s ankle as she disappeared.</p>
<p>Amy screamed.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry! I’ve. Got you.” Bonnie grunted, trying to pull Amy up.</p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“I’m. Sure.” Bonnie tried to stand, but as she did, she felt her heels sinking into the ground. “This can’t be good.”</p>
<p>“I think I can see a big enough ledge that you could lower me to!” Amy’s voice echoed slightly. “Then I can stand up and help you help me out of here, because I’m pretty useless to you with my ass in the air.”</p>
<p>“Okay, okay. Let’s do that.” Bonnie nodded.</p>
<p>She sank down to a sitting position slowly, and then orientated herself to laying on her front.</p>
<p>“I’m touching it with my hands now, just a little further and I’ll be able to sort myself out! Good! That’s good! I’m okay, you can let go!”</p>
<p>“Are you. Sure?!”</p>
<p>“Yeah Bon, I’m sure!”</p>
<p>“Okay…”</p>
<p>Once she had released Amy’s foot and made sure that her friend was alright Bonnie stood up, and turned around, to stretch out and dump her small backpack off to the side before mounting the other half of the rescue. She let out a small laugh, ironic. Her brothers would be proud.</p>
<p>She stepped back an inch, maybe not even that, and felt the ground underneath her give way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bonnie didn’t know how long it had been before she opened her eyes. Why did her hands sting? Why did her head hurt so much? And what was the shooting pain in her shoulder about?</p>
<p>“Bonnie!”</p>
<p>Amy? What?</p>
<p>“Oh my god Bonnie talk to me!”</p>
<p>Amy?</p>
<p>Bonnie’s eyes snapped open. The hike. The strange plants. The projector and the hole in the floor. She’d fallen down it. But there was still space to move in front of her. It must curve, she must have managed to stay close enough to the edges that she had followed them down like a slide until she’d lost momentum.</p>
<p>“Bonnie!”</p>
<p>“I’m okay!” Bonnie shouted, or at least thought she did.</p>
<p>“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”</p>
<p>“I’m in pain but that’s not to be unexpected! Where are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m still on the ledge! You fell so much further! I can’t even see you! I thought for sure you were dead!”</p>
<p>“That’s cheery!”</p>
<p>“Shut up I was scared!”</p>
<p>“I just need to be quiet while I do something! You can keep talking if you want, just give me a minute.”</p>
<p>In the peripheries of her mind Bonnie could still hear Amy shouting to her but she was too preoccupied to actually notice what was being said. <br/>She turned the inner face of her watch a half turn counter-clockwise and the tunnel was illuminated with a faint glow from the holocom.</p>
<p>“How are we going to get out of here?!”</p>
<p>“Working on it!” She yelled, pressing buttons on the holographic display.</p>
<p>Three repeating dots appeared for a moment before being replaced by a green check mark.</p>
<p>“Yes!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Anything that requires our attention this morning EOS?”</p><p>“No pressing rescues that the GDF or local authorities are unable to handle for the moment John.”</p><p>“Good. We’ll let them get some much-needed rest.”</p><p>John absentmindedly span the holographic globe in the centre of the room but was stopped short when a flashing, purple IR symbol took its place. He rolled his eyes but smiled all the same.</p><p>“Morning Bug, please don’t tell me you need my help accessing a paper for you to reference again.”</p><p>
  <em>“John?” </em>
</p><p>The display was so dark he could barely make out her features.</p><p>“You better not be calling me from the back room of a bar at this time of day.”</p><p><em>“For starters, it’s almost noon here. For seconds I promised I wouldn’t do that again. And thirdly I need some serious help.”</em> Her voice faded off into a pained wince.</p><p>John felt the smirk melt from his face.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p><em>“That depends on your definition.”</em> She shook her head and forced herself to blink a couple of times<em>. “I’m alive.”</em></p><p>“Bonnie.”</p><p><em>“No. I’m not. I’m hurt quite badly, I think. And I’m certainly stuck. I’ve definitely broken or dislocated a couple of things anyway. And I was apparently unconscious for a significant bit.” </em>She rubbed her forehead distractedly. “<em>Amy thought I was dead.” </em>She yawned.</p><p>His limbs suddenly felt heavy. “What happened?”</p><p>
  <em>“Well…”</em>
</p><p>John listened intently as she told him the full story.</p><p>“Was there any indication of who might have set it all up?”</p><p><em>“No. None.” </em>She shifted again and John saw her bite back a yell of pain. <em>“I’ll be more than happy to pass everything on to Colonel Casey once we get out of here, but we really need some help with the getting out part.” </em>Another yawn.<em> “And maybe the transport to hospital part.” </em>Her eyes looked a little out of focus.<em> “I’m starting to think I have a concussion.”</em></p><p>“Scott could probably be with you in under half an hour.”</p><p><em>“I don’t care who you send so long as they can get us out of here before whoever it is that’s hiding this place comes back.” </em>John watched her face pale as she moved position. <em>“Sorry, I don’t mean to snap. I’m just so tired…” </em>She appeared to be snuggling back into her jacket. <em>“S’cold down here…”</em></p><p>Virgil would call that a red flag. “Don’t worry about it.” John dismissed her apology quickly and turned to his comms to connect with Tracy Island. “Hang on a second. I’m going to put the call through; don’t you dare hang up on me.”</p><p><em>“I. Won’t…”</em> She yawned, settling back further.</p><p>“Hey. Hey!”</p><p>She jolted at his shout.</p><p>“Don’t you even think about falling asleep on me either. You stay wide awake. Do you hear me? No sleeping. You understand?”</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, sure, no sleeping, got it.”</em>
</p><p>John pulled Bonnie’s image up in front of him so he could keep an eye on her while he alerted his brothers. “EOS, keep a watch on her. Let me know if she looks like she’s going to sleep.”</p><p><em>“Hey John!” </em>Alan greeted him brightly. <em>“So much for our easy morning.”</em></p><p>Ordinarily John would have rolled his eyes or laughed a little but now was not the time. “Where are Scott and Virgil?”</p><p><em>“Nice greeting.”</em> His youngest brother scoffed. <em>“Just coming in now.”</em></p><p><em>“Morning John.” </em>Scott acknowledged him.</p><p><em>“Notice you left out the ‘good’ part.” </em>Virgil grumbled taking a big drink of his coffee.</p><p>“Guys. We don’t have time for this.” John’s eyes flashed briefly to Bonnie’s image to check on her.</p><p><em>“Sounds like a serious situation.” </em>Virgil sat down next to Alan.</p><p>“Not one of the more daring rescues we’ve had but there’s a head injury involved and it’s- -”</p><p>“John.” EOS cut him off drawing his attention back to Bonnie, whose eyes were drifting shut.</p><p>“Hey! What did I tell you about falling asleep?” Bonnie’s eyes snapped back open, if only to glare at him. “Yeah exactly. You need to do something to stay awake.”</p><p><em>“You’re such a party pooper.” </em>She mumbled.</p><p>“I’m not the one falling asleep. Stay awake. I just need you to stay awake by yourself for one more minute, okay? Just one. Then I can talk to you.”</p><p>
  <em>“No promises.”</em>
</p><p>“EOS do something to keep her awake while I can’t.”</p><p><em>“John? What’s going on?” </em>Scott had approached the Holocom now and Virgil looked a lot more alert than before.</p><p>“As briefly as I can; Bonnie and her friend were hiking they saw something strange off the trail and went to investigate. Turned out to be a large, hidden hole in the ground which they’ve both now fallen in to. Bonnie’s friend Amy is fine. She didn’t have much of a fall because Bon managed to catch her before she could disappear completely and lower her down to something like a ledge. Bon fell backwards down the hole which now appears to be a tunnel. She’s hurt, a lot, I’d wager hospital treatment level. She thinks she has a concussion and a few breaks, maybe a dislocation.” John stopped for a second to look to where Bonnie was glaring tiredly at EOS. “We’re managing to keep her awake, but she says she feels cold, and she sounds exhausted.”</p><p>
  <em>“EOS, normally I like you but you’re annoying the shit out of me because I just want to sleep.”</em>
</p><p>“John says I’m not allowed to let you sleep.”</p><p>The silent glaring resumed.</p><p>
  <em>“John?”</em>
</p><p>He turned back to his brothers.</p><p><em>“Tell her we’re on our way!” </em>Scott leapt to action.</p><p>
  <em>“I’ll be right behind you. Thunderbird two probably isn’t needed to get them out of there but it’s got all the medical kit we might need.”</em>
</p><p>“I’ll send the co-ordinates to Thunderbirds one and two.”</p><p><em>“Hey, what about me?” </em>Alan asked, watching the other two leave.</p><p>“You can go and make sure that Grandma is distracted. She’ll be out of her mind if she finds out about this before we sort it.”</p><p>John turned to Bonnie.</p><p>“Scott and Virgil are on their way. How are you feeling?” That earnt him a glare. “How’s Amy?”</p><p>
  <em>“She’s fine. Talking about some TV show that she’s going to miss that she thinks I should watch.”</em>
</p><p>“Okay, good.”</p><p>Her eyes were still drifting shut.</p><p>“Bonnie, I need you to do something for me.”</p><p>Her eyes refocussed on him. <em>“Sure…”</em></p><p>“I need you to increase my volume so I can talk to Amy. If you have got a concussion, which I’m pretty sure you do, then I need to make sure Amy is alright for myself.”</p><p>Bonnie nodded. <em>“Yeah, yeah. Obviously.” </em></p><p>She turned the volume up on her communicuff and gestured for him to go ahead.</p><p>“Amy? Can you hear me?”</p><p><em>“Who the hell is that?!” </em>A voice much more alert and brighter than Bonnie’s echoed from somewhere above her position.</p><p>
  <em>“The voice of one of our faithful rescuers.”</em>
</p><p>“This is International Rescue.”</p><p>
  <em>“What the fuck?”</em>
</p><p>“How are you holding up?”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m fine, completely fine actually, maybe a little scrape on my hand but apart from that I think I’m good. It’s Bonnie you need to worry about.”</em>
</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ve been talking to her and assessing her situation and help is on the way as quick as it can get there.”</p><p>
  <em>“Just hang on a second! This is surreal. Girl, since when do you - - since when does <strong>anyone</strong> have a direct line through to International Rescue?”</em>
</p><p><em>“I’m special.” </em>Bonnie muttered.</p><p>“If you fall asleep, I’ll force feed you some of Grandma Tracy’s cookies.”</p><p>Bonnie pulled a face. <em>“That’s cruelty. No one wants that.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Wait a minute. Grandma Tracy? Are you kidding me? Bonnie Dunbar Tracy. Is this a joke? You’re <strong>that</strong> kind of Tracy. Holy shit. Why didn’t you tell me?”</em>
</p><p><em>“Didn’t seem relevant.” </em>Bonnie shrugged.</p><p>
  <em>“Please tell me you’re some kind of cousin or something. Like loosely related, not properly related.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not in the habit of lying to my friends.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Are you sure? Because keeping this a secret seems like a pretty big one.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If you would have asked, I wouldn’t have denied it, I just never mentioned it. I didn’t lie.”</em>
</p><p>As much as John wasn’t enjoying listening to the girls bickering he was glad for it, because it was forcing Bonnie to stay awake. He even felt safe enough to turn back to the IR comms.</p><p>“How far out are you Thunderbird One?”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m pushing top speed; I’ll probably be with them in about thirty minutes. Who’s digging holes in the middle of California?”</em>
</p><p>“It can’t be anything good or it wouldn’t be hidden like that. It would just be covered. And probably fenced off too.”</p><p>
  <em>“I have a theory.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Virgil, if you say aliens, I swear…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I wasn’t going to say <strong>aliens</strong>, but now that you mention it…”</em>
</p><p>“He’s got a point Scott - -”</p><p>
  <em>“<strong>What?</strong>”</em>
</p><p>“No, not about aliens creating the holes in the ground or any other theories you hear, but about them existing.”</p><p><em>“Can I weigh in here?” </em>Bonnie was staring expectantly at him, a sparkle in her eyes.</p><p><em>“No. You absolutely cannot.” </em>Scott snapped.</p><p>Bonnie laughed and the sound was music to John’s ears.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Approximately twenty-eight minutes later Scott was deploying the landing gear on Thunderbird One and setting the bird down in the clearest area he could find.</p><p>As he hit the ground himself he raised the arm which his communicuff occupied and John’s holographic image appeared.</p><p>“Alright I’m here, but not there. I couldn’t land any closer to where they are so I’m going to need your help guiding me there.”</p><p>Almost instantly a map appeared in Johns place.</p><p>
  <em>“If you follow the route highlighted by the green line it should take you right to them. You should take maybe fifteen minutes from where you are now.”</em>
</p><p>“How are they holding up?” Scott asked as he began to follow the trail.</p><p>
  <em>“They’re doing fine. Amy wasn’t really hurt to begin with. Bonnie took a lot of damage from what Amy has described to me. She was stood at the edge and the ground gave out underneath her, but she was too far away for Amy to catch; slid down the edge of the tunnel. She hit her head almost right away, so she doesn’t remember any of it, she just knows that she’s in pain.”</em>
</p><p>“How’s she doing with the concussion?”</p><p>
  <em>“She seems a little brighter now that we’re able to keep her talking. But she definitely needs to get checked out at an actual hospital, not just taken back home.” </em>
</p><p>“Yeah, well, tell Virgil that not me. He’s our resident medic.”</p><p><em>“He agrees.” </em>Virgil’s voice joined Johns.</p><p>“How long before you join me Virg?”</p><p>
  <em>“Probably looking at another thirty minutes, maybe forty-five.” </em>
</p><p>“That’s fine. I can get to them and get Amy out in that time, and you can be here with the medical kit to help with Bon and make sure I don’t get stuck down there too.”</p><p>
  <em>“I’ll configure a pod as soon as I land and meet you there.”</em>
</p><p>Scott stumbled over a rock in the middle of the trail. “Shit. I hate not being able to land Thunderbird One right where I need to be.”</p><p>
  <em>“That’s just laziness.”</em>
</p><p>“No, it’s practicality.” Scott argued. “All of my equipment is on there. And it makes everything so much faster too.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Okay John, I’m at the part where I need to come off the trail, but I don’t see any holes in the ground.”</p><p>John once again appeared, replacing the map. <em>“The projector must still be active. I’m going to attach you through to Bonnie so she can tell you what to look for.”</em></p><p>“Can’t you just…”</p><p>
  <em>“No, I can’t. Honestly Scott I know you guys don’t always get along but just talk to your sister.”</em>
</p><p>Scott stayed silent.</p><p>
  <em>“I’m merging the calls now.”</em>
</p><p>A second later Bonnie’s image popped up next to Johns.</p><p>Oldest brother and only sister stared at each other for a moment before Bonnie broke the silence.</p><p>
  <em>“Hey biggest bro.” </em>
</p><p>“Hey, how are you doing?”</p><p><em>“I still feel tired but it’s lifting a bit.” </em>She smiled weakly at him.<em> “I am starting to get bored though, how far away are you?”</em></p><p>“Not far now, but we think the projector is still active covering the hole, so I need you to tell me what I’m looking for, or I’ll end up joining you down there and we’ll all have to wait for Virgil.”</p><p><em>“My shoulder and ribs might as well scream at me every time I move so I reckon I’m waiting for his arrival regardless.” </em>Bonnie laughed but winced when the action made her shift. <em>“But we certainly don’t need one of our faithful rescuers getting stuck down here with us do we.”</em></p><p>“I really don’t need all the shit I’ll get from Virgil if that happens.” Scott agreed with a smile of his own. “Right baby sister, what am I looking for?”</p><p>Bonnie’s face lit up at the nickname. <em>“It’s an area probably about three metres in diameter, about a half mile off the trail, that just looks out of place. The plants and vegetation look almost fake. They’re too green compared to the others around them. And if you watch your footing around the right edge you’ll probably stumble across the projector.” </em></p><p>“So, what you’re saying is take baby steps?” He started slowly moving off the trail.</p><p>
  <em>“I can get Amy to start shouting if you want but personally, I’d rather not. My head hurts.” </em>
</p><p>“Tell her to shout up when she can hear me approaching.”</p><p>
  <em>“It might be too late by that point. Don’t you have any fancy tech with you that can help you tell where any anomalies in the ground are like GPR or something?”</em>
</p><p>“Not on my suit. But that’s a good idea for Brains next round of upgrades.”</p><p>
  <em>“I’d have thought at least something like that would have been integrated into your suits by now.”</em>
</p><p>“There’s only so much one man can do at once Bonnie. He needs to sleep too.”</p><p>
  <em>“Sleep is for the weak.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Spoken like a true PhD student.”</em>
</p><p>“You’d like Brains. We have to force him to go to bed when he’s working on something.”</p><p>
  <em>“Sounds like my kind of person.”</em>
</p><p>“Maybe you’ll meet him at some point.”</p><p>Bonnie was silent and Scott instantly regretted how that had come out.</p><p>“I didn’t mean - -”</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah. You did. But that’s not a conversation for right now.”</em>
</p><p>The three siblings were silent for a few minutes.</p><p>“Hey. I think I see it!” Scott picked up his pace until he got to an area like Bonnie had described.</p><p>There was a faint murmur over the comms.</p><p>
  <em>“Amy says she can hear you. If you walk carefully around the edge you should see the projector. It’ll be easier for you if you dismantle it, or you know just break it in some way. It’s painted green so watch your step.”</em>
</p><p>“I see it.”</p><p>A small but noticeable metallic protrusion, well hidden in the grass to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. It broke easily enough when Scott took his boot to it. The image of greenery flickered and disappeared completely, leaving a rather obvious large hole in the landscape.</p><p>Scott knelt at the edge and was greeted by a pair of eager, dark grey eyes staring up at him from not very deep down.</p><p>“You must be Amy.”</p><p>“I most certainly am.” She sounded decidedly chipper for someone who had been stuck in a hole for almost three hours.</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, for god’s sake…”</em>
</p><p>“I’m Scott Tracy from International Rescue, you look like you could use a hand.”</p><p>“Hand, arm, anything I’ll take all the help I can get.”</p><p>Scott laughed nervously.</p><p>“Okay, just let me get set up and I’ll have you out of there in no time at all.”</p><p>He quickly snapped the pulley together and secured it into the ground.</p><p>“I’m going to lower the cable down to you now Amy. I just need you to put the red belt around your waist, clip that to the metal ring on the cable, stand with both feet in the loop at the end, and hold on tight while I pull you up. Is that okay?”</p><p>“Whatever you say hotshot.”</p><p><em>“Stop trying to flirt with my brother!” </em>Bonnie’s shout echoed through the comm channel.</p><p>Scott felt his face start to burn.</p><p>
  <em>“Way to sound like a banshee Bug.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Are you even here yet piano boy?”</em>
</p><p>Scott forced himself to regain his composure, ignoring his younger brother and sister, now was not the time.</p><p>“Okay Amy, are you ready?”</p><p>“So ready, get me the hell out of here.”</p><p>Scott turned the handle on the pulley and the cable started to retract. Since she was already reasonably close to the top when standing it didn’t take much more than a minute before Amy’s head of dark curls appeared and her hands made a grab for the edge of the hole.</p><p>“Let me get you all the way out. That way there isn’t a chance of any more of the surrounding ground collapsing in and sending you back down.”</p><p>Amy nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Makes sense.”</p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>“The honest answer is no, however better this is than being stuck down there, I’m not a fan of how this feels.”</p><p>Scott chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over before you know it. Promise.”</p><p>“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one dangling here.”</p><p>True to Scott’s word only a few moments later Amy was completely above the entry of the tunnel and the pulley was rotating to set her down away from it.</p><p>Amy unclipped herself hurriedly and stepped away from the cable before Scott could get anywhere near her. When he did, he was quickly drawn into a tight hug.</p><p>“Thank you! Thank you so much!”</p><p>“You’re welcome…” Scott patted her back awkwardly, trying to politely extricate himself from the embrace.</p><p>“Sorry, adrenaline I guess.” Amy apologised as she released him.</p><p>Scott heard Bonnie snort over the comms. <em>“Yeah, right.”</em></p><p>Thankfully for Scott, Virgil’s voice broke the awkward silence.</p><p>
  <em>“I’m here, I’ve configured the pod, and I’m on my way. I should only be a couple of minutes.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Please hurry.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is the pain getting worse?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I honestly can’t tell at this point, but what I can tell you is that the boredom is horrifying.” </em>
</p><p>“Pain you can cope with, but boredom is horrifying?”</p><p>
  <em>“Yes. How else do you explain three degrees, two masters, and just submitting my second PhD thesis by the age of twenty-one?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“So you got all the intelligence and Gordon got what? His sea legs?”</em>
</p><p><em>“Yeah, about right.”</em> Bonnie shrugged.</p><p>“Scott?!” Virgil called from the approaching pod, leaning out of the window.</p><p>“Over here!” Scott waved his brother over. “Approach slowly.”</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, don’t bury me.” </em>
</p><p>“I thought bug’s liked being underground?”</p><p>
  <em>“Fuck you.”</em>
</p><p>Virgil laughed as he drove the pod closer.</p><p>Even Scott could feel the vibrations through the ground of the pod moving across it as he checked Amy over for any injuries.</p><p><em>“HEY! VIRGIL! STOP!” </em>Bonnie suddenly shouted.</p><p>Virgil killed the engine on the pod immediately.</p><p>Scott jumped up from where he had been crouching and ran to the edge of the hole.</p><p>“Bonnie?!”</p><p>
  <em>“This place is crumbling just from that distance! I really don’t want to consider what might happen if that thing gets any closer.”</em>
</p><p>“Shit.” Virgil had hopped out of the pod and made the rest of the way on foot.</p><p>But Scott had already made his decision.</p><p>“I’m coming down to get you.”</p><p>
  <em>“Scott. Wait. You don’t have the right equipment to get down there and get Bonnie out without hurting her any more.”</em>
</p><p>“I’m not just going to leave her down there John!”</p><p>
  <em>“That’s not what I’m saying.” </em>
</p><p>“I have the stuff.” Virgil appeared at his side, completely suited up. “I’ll go down and get the disaster child -”</p><p>
  <em>“Hey!”</em>
</p><p>“- And you stay up here.”</p><p>Scott nodded his assent and Virgil began his descent.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil inspected the tunnel as he scaled down its walls.</p><p>“The mouth of the tunnel is about a metre wider than the rest, almost like someone started digging, and decided they weren’t quite in the right position.”</p><p>Scott’s small hologram image nodded in understanding. <em>“That would explain the ledge that Amy was able to stay on.”</em></p><p>“What the hell was the reason for this?” Virgil grunted as he climbed down.</p><p>
  <em>“Who knows? It goes on further than where I am, I just got to the point where it levelled out.” Bonnie appeared next to Scott, she looked to be sitting up and moving around.</em>
</p><p>“Don’t you dare move.”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not going to move! I’m just looking around.”</em>
</p><p>Virgil stopped to stare his sister right in the eye. “I’m serious Bon. Don’t move. Stay exactly where you are.”</p><p>
  <em>“But…”</em>
</p><p>“I said: ‘Don’t move’ and I mean it. Don’t you dare move from where you are, or I’ll tell Grandma and she’ll have you confined under her watch. Permanently.”</p><p>Bonnie’s image pouted and glowered at him.</p><p>
  <em>“I just…”</em>
</p><p><em>“Bonnie.” </em>The sternness in John’s voice even made Virgil start.</p><p><em>“Fine. Fine, I won’t move.” </em>She put her hands up in surrender.</p><p>“You’re such a nightmare.” Virgil chuckled.</p><p>He didn’t need to look to know Bonnie was sticking her tongue out at him.</p><p>“So childish too.”</p><p>
  <em>“You’re only two years older than me, get off your high horse.”</em>
</p><p>Virgil allowed himself to slide a bit of the way down the tunnel before digging the claws on his boots into the wall in front of him. “Still old enough to know better.”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m claiming scientific curiosity.”</em>
</p><p>“That’s funny, I thought you fell down by accident and now I’m starting to think it was on purpose.”</p><p><em>“Yeah, the perfect excuse to see you boys!” </em>Bonnie rolled her eyes. <em>“Nothing says family reunion like factures, dislocations, and concussions!” </em></p><p>“Sounds about right actually,” Virgil huffed a laugh. “Didn’t Alan fall out of a tree and knock himself out the last time we were all together in one place?” He looked over his shoulder before allowing himself to drop a few more feet.</p><p><em>“Yeah,” </em>John smiled a little at the memory, shaking his head. <em>“And after we’d found him and carried him inside, when he woke up he said he was the hide and seek champion.”</em></p><p><em>“That little shit is going to be the death of all of us.” </em>Bonnie smiled fondly. <em>“We’re all simultaneously going to have heart attacks because he does something stupid.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Each and every one of you is going to be the death of me. I just don’t know who’s going to be the final cause yet.” </em>
</p><p>“Comes with the job of being the oldest, I guess. And my money is on Gordon. But not in the way you think. I bet he’ll shock us all in a non-mission related way.” Virgil allowed himself to drop a little more until he felt the ground more under his feet, the bend was slight but the tunnel was changing from vertical to horizontal. He couldn’t be far now. “Hey Bon?”</p><p>“I can hear you!” Bonnie sounded delighted. “Without the comms I mean.”</p><p>Virgil heard some shuffling from not much further into the tunnel and a couple of hissed curse words.</p><p>“What did I say about staying where you are?”</p><p>“I am… I am…”</p><p>Virgil made his way around the shallow bend slowly, making mental note of how easy or difficult it might be to get Bonnie out of here. As he made his way along the last section of the bend, he could see the glow from Bonnie’s holocom. And then a moment later he could see her.</p><p>“Hey Bug,” He grinned at her and she shot to her feet immediately.</p><p>In what seemed like a flash she had one arm wrapped around his middle in the tightest hug she could probably manage, and he quickly returned the gesture, holding her in a strong bear hug until he heard a pained squeak. He released her instantly.</p><p>“Okay, sit down.”</p><p>“No thanks.”</p><p>“Bon.”</p><p>“Okay, alright, sitting down.” She carefully manoeuvred herself back to the floor.</p><p>Virgil didn’t see any urgency in getting out of the tunnel so he might as well do the medical assessment then and there. It would make it easier to get Bonnie out while causing her the least discomfort that way.</p><p>“Where are you hurt?”</p><p>There was blood on her face, probably from whatever head injury she had sustained, and some nasty looking bruises peeking out from the neck of her t-shirt, which indicated a breakage somewhere nearby.</p><p>“My head is killing me, my vision still feels like it’s tipping from side to side on occasion, and I’m so incredibly tired, but keeping talking is helping I think.” She nodded slightly then held her head for a moment before continuing. “My right shoulder might as well scream at me whenever I try to move my arm. I think I caught my ribs on the projector when I dove for Amy so they’re a little sore on my left side but it’s probably just bruising. And my knees ache but I think that’s just from being sat for so long.”</p><p>“Anything else? Chipped a tooth? Got a hang-nail?” Virgil teased.</p><p>“Now that you mention it.” She presented her hands to him palms up, they were covered in dirt and scrapes and her fingernails were caked with mud. “Even unconscious I tried to save myself.”</p><p>He took her hands in his and examined them carefully “We need to get those cleaned asap. Last thing we need is you getting an infection.”</p><p>“Yes sir, Doctor Tracy sir,” She mock saluted. “Anything else?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>He tossed her the full body safety harness that made it possible for her to attach to the back of his exosuit.</p><p>“Suit up.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You ready?”</p><p>They had reached the point in the tunnel where it became almost impossible to walk through it anymore, and despite having allowed Bonnie to walk the most of the way (at her own request, despite his protestations he should add) Virgil couldn’t let her walk any further.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“All you have to do is attach the clips to my suit and then cling to me like a spider monkey and I’ll do the rest.” He tried to reassure her, but she still looked nervous.</p><p>“What if I drag you down?” She asked quietly.</p><p>“I’ve held up buildings in the desert during a horrific sandstorm in this suit, and you’re not exactly that big, it’ll be fine.”</p><p>“I don’t like climbing.” She muttered.</p><p>“I remember. But you won’t be the one doing it, I will. You can even close your eyes and pretend it isn’t happening if you want to.”</p><p>She still looked apprehensive.</p><p>“But Virgil, what if…”</p><p>“Nope. We’re not doing this. There’s no ‘what ifs’. There’s getting out of here or being stuck here.” He ticked off the options on his fingers. “Those are your two choices and since I know you don’t want number two it has to be number one. I’m not going to rush you though if you need a minute, but the faster we get started climbing, the faster we get out of here.” He held his hand out for the clip. “We can do this.”</p><p>She nodded in understanding, fidgeting with the clip in her hands, she finally looked back at him.</p><p>“You ready?” He asked again.</p><p>“Ready.” She nodded once and put the clip in his hand.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“How are you doing back there?”</p><p>“Don’t talk to me.”</p><p>Virgil could feel just how tense she was in every area that she clung to him. He laughed.</p><p>“Fearless aren’t you.”</p><p>“I said shut up.”</p><p>He felt her face press further into his shoulder.</p><p>“Hey,” He switched his teasing tone for something more soothing and he felt her lift her head a little, as though she was looking at him. “We’re almost out of here, we’ll be back on solid ground before you know it. Just hold on and bear with it yeah? I know it’s not fun, but it’s not for much longer.”</p><p>“Okay.” She agreed quietly. “I trust you.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>Virgil stabbed the hook into the next section of the wall and it instantly crumbled as he tried to put any weight on it.</p><p>“Shit!”</p><p>Bonnie’s head was forced back into his shoulder.</p><p>John and Scott popped back up on Virgil’s communicuff.</p><p>
  <em>“Everything okay down there?”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. Totally fine. Completely fine. Always fine. Some dirt is just less compacted in some places than others I guess.” Virgil grunted, securing the claw in another spot and pulling them up on it.</p><p><em>“I don’t like the sound of that.” </em>Scott told him sternly. <em>“Get to the ledge and I’ll send the pulley back down for you both. I’m not taking any chances.”</em></p><p>“Yeah. Sure. We’ll do that.”</p><p>Virgil raised his head and looked around above them. He could see a slight shadow around thirty feet further up the tunnel to their right, he hoped that was the ledge and not his mind playing tricks on him.</p><p>“Can I help at all?”</p><p>“Since you asked, it would be a lot easier for me to move if you relaxed a little and weren’t so tense. You can still cling on, that’s fine but you don’t need to grip so tight. Just trust me.”</p><p>“I trust you.” She repeated her earlier words.</p><p>Bonnie inhaled deeply, closing her eyes before exhaling slowly, forcing each of the muscles in her legs and arms to relax slightly. When Virgil started climbing again, leading a diagonal path upwards and to the right this time, she found he was moving with much more ease than before.</p><p>Once they reached the ledge Virgil released the line clipping Bonnie securely to him and they sat for a minute, allowing Virgil to get his breath back and helping Bonnie to disperse some of the anxiety induced adrenaline that was kicking around in her veins.</p><p><em>“You two alright?” </em>John’s voice crackled to life over the comm channel.</p><p>“Peachy.” Bonnie answered brightly, leaning her head on Virgil’s shoulder.</p><p>John smiled. <em>“Not much longer now.</em>”</p><p>Scott appeared at the tunnel entrance.</p><p>“Hey you two,”</p><p>“Hey yourself.” Virgil grumbled up at him.</p><p>“Now that’s no way to talk to the person who’s going to help you, what would Grandma say?”</p><p>“She’d tell <em>you</em> to stop talking and get us out of here ASAP.” Bonnie desperately wanted to find something to throw at him for his attitude.</p><p>“Okay, I hear you. Two minutes.”</p><p>Scott disappeared from the edge, but his voice was replaced by distinct mechanical whirring above them. Soon a safety line dropped into view. Virgil got to his feet and helped her up with him, he secured them both to the line and instructed her to hold onto him rather than the line.</p><p>“Sure, but why?”</p><p>“You only have one arm that’s secure enough for you to bear any kind of weight on, and I would much rather that weight was on me where I can feel you slipping, rather than holding a line and I don’t notice until it’s too late.”</p><p>Bonnie nodded.</p><p>Harness’s secured, they each placed both of their feet into the loop and wrapped an arm around each other while Virgil’s other hand held tightly to the line.</p><p>“Whenever you’re ready!”</p><p>“F.A.B.”</p><p>As they were thrust into the sunlight Bonnie had to screw her eyes shut against the sun’s glare.</p><p>“Wow, that’s bright.” She blinked a couple of times to help her eyes adjust.</p><p>“Welcome back!” Amy jumped up from where she had perched on a wheel of the pod and ran over to envelope Bonnie in a hug.</p><p>Bonnie had to fight back the urge to scream outright, settling for hissing through her teeth.</p><p>“Amy.”</p><p>“Oh, shit, yeah, sorry!” She released her quickly, looking her up and down. “You look like shit.”</p><p>“Thanks. I suppose falling down a really deep hole slash tunnel in the ground and knocking yourself unconscious can do that to a person.” Bonnie rolled her eyes but smirked.</p><p>“Wasn’t a hard enough hit to knock that sass out of you though was it?” Amy laughed.</p><p>“Right ladies. As nice as this reunion is to witness, it’s hospital check-up time for the both of you.”</p><p>“But I’m fine.” Amy protested.</p><p>“Regardless, you still need to get checked over.”</p><p>“And just how are we going to get there?”</p><p>“Are you being serious right now? Did those words actually just come out of your mouth?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’ve seen international rescue on TV, haven’t you? You’ve seen the birds, the Thunderbirds, you remember they exist right?”</p><p>“Are you telling me that today, not only do I get to meet two, sort of three I guess, members of International Rescue, I get to take a ride in an actual real-life Thunderbird?”</p><p>“Number One, to be precise.” Scott added.</p><p>“This had better not be a joke.”</p><p>Virgil laughed as he climbed up into the pod. “I like this one Bon; you can keep her.”</p><p>“That depends on who she tries to flirt with in the future.” Bonnie shot Amy a sideways glance.</p><p>“He’s hot, so sue me.” She shrugged.</p><p>Scott’s entire face turned an impressive shade of red and even John was laughing.</p><p>“Can everyone get in the pod now please?” He tried to style out his embarrassment as he helped Bonnie into a seat.</p><p>She pulled him into a slightly awkward hug with her good arm, which he returned, careful not to jostle her.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Don’t mention it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bonnie turned her face into her pillow as the early morning sun filtered through gaps in curtains she had obviously forgotten to close properly. The air smelled fresh and tasted like ocean, clearly she’d forgotten to close the window last night too. Her pillow and sheets were soft and inviting, definitely not time to get out of bed yet. She tried to turn onto her right side to check the time and a jolt of pain shot through her.</p><p>Right.</p><p>Broken collar bone.</p><p>It hadn’t been long since she and Amy had their unscheduled trip underground in the Angeles National Forest, only three days, but in the haze of the early morning hours, still sleep fuzzy, she forgot about her injuries until her body so crudely reminded her. She groaned and screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to drift back into unawares unconsciousness.</p><p>Her bedroom door creaked open and she instinctively pulled the covers up over her head.</p><p>“Five more minutes…” She whined like she had when she was a child.</p><p>“I’m not here to get you up, I just wanted to see how you were.”</p><p>Bonnie sat up instantly, letting the covers drop right off of her.</p><p>“John!”</p><p>John smiled at her and managed to cross the room in five strides of his long legs.</p><p>Bonnie patted the unoccupied expanse of lavender coloured sheets next to her in invitation.</p><p>“I’d say sit and take a load off, but I imagine that its quite a rarity for your feet to have a load <em>on</em>, these days.”</p><p>John chuckled. “Not true. I have the gravity turned on in mostly everywhere except the comm sphere.” He sat down in the space indicated for him and helped her shuffle back to lean against the headboard. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Sick of that question I’ll tell you. Come on, relax properly, put your feet up.”</p><p>John rolled his eyes but kicked off his shoes anyway and joined her leaning back against the headboard.</p><p>“I mean it though Bug, how are you?”</p><p>“In pain, but otherwise good.” She shrugged her good shoulder.</p><p>“Pain is to be expected I suppose, you did break your collarbone into three pieces.”</p><p>“And then have surgery to screw those pieces back together so they could heal properly. Not to mention the nasty bang to the head, the bruised ribs, and as it turned out broken fingers too.” She hadn’t even realised she’d done anything to her fingers until the nurse at the hospital pointed it out, Virgil reasoned that he pain from her collarbone break had probably masked it but she knew he was kicking himself for not spotting it to begin with.</p><p>“Yeah, all of that too.”</p><p>“I’m also probably overdue on my pain meds.”</p><p>“A little,” John admitted. “That’s why Virgil told me not to wake you, but I know what you’d have said if I’d told you that.”</p><p>“He’s not the boss of you.”</p><p>“That’s the one.”</p><p>“Come on then big brother, you’re good at this game.” She shuffled closer to him to rest her head on his shoulder. “Ask me something I haven’t heard at least a hundred times a day since I got here.”</p><p>“Okay, let’s see…” He paused as though he was thinking but Bonnie could see a question already on his mind. “I’m not going to ask how long you’ll be here for, because Virgil has already told me that it depends on a number of things and is currently undeterminable.”</p><p> “Jury’s out on that one. Who knows, maybe I’ll stay here forever now.”</p><p>“I knows.”</p><p>She knew John would understand that side of the coin. They both loved their family but knew what it was like to live independent of them for an extended period of time and make their own home elsewhere.</p><p>“True. But come on. Ask your question. I’m waiting.”</p><p>“Albeit impatiently.”</p><p>She stuck her tongue out at him.</p><p>“Child.” He scolded with a smirk.</p><p>“No longer, legally.”</p><p>“So, since you’re here for the foreseeable future, are you going to redecorate?” He gestured to her bedroom with a wide sweep of his arm.</p><p>He wasn’t being unreasonable she thought. She hadn’t lived in this room since she was thirteen and while a lot of it was still to her taste, a few aspects definitely were not.</p><p>The walls painted in varying shades of soft blues and purples she did still like, but the feature wall… The feature wall directly opposite her bed was nothing she would choose now. The wallpaper was shimmery and satiny, it reflected the light in such an odd way it gave itself an off-putting shine, but that wasn’t even the worst part. The absolute worst part in Bonnie’s personal opinion had to be the glaringly fake, garishly bright and just plain incorrect, huge butterflies that dominated the wall.</p><p>“That wall has to go. It needs to. What on <em>earth</em> was I thinking?”</p><p>John smirked. “Gordon still has his seascape.”</p><p>“Yeah, but that was nice, those butterflies have no business looking like that.”</p><p>“What will you replace it with?”</p><p>“Who knows? But I’m definitely enlisting Virgil’s help.”</p><p>“I happen to know her has some mandated downtime coming up.”</p><p>“Excellent.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Since this flowed so easily for me to write I was considering making it into a mini series, what do you think?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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